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Disappearance of Natalee Holloway

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Yearbook portrait of Natalee Holloway

Natalee Ann Holloway (born October 21, 1986), from Mountain Brook, Alabama, United States, disappeared on May 30, 2005 during a post-graduation trip in Aruba. Holloway remains officially missing to this day, although according to Aruban authorities, she is most likely dead. The disappearance generated a media sensation in both the U.S. and Aruba and sparked considerable interest in the Netherlands.

Disappearance

Holloway and 124 fellow graduates of Mountain Brook High School, located in an affluent suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, were visiting Aruba on a five-day unofficial senior class graduation trip. Holloway was last seen leaving Carlos’n Charlie’s, a popular tourist-oriented bar and grill in Oranjestad, at about 1:00 a.m. on Monday, May 30 with Joran van der Sloot, 17, and his two companions, the brothers Deepak Kalpoe, 21, and Satish Kalpoe, 18, in Deepak's car.

Holloway did not arrive for her return flight that day, nor did she appear in any security camera footage of her hotel lobby in the course of the night--although, according to statements made by her mother, Beth Twitty, on April 19 2006, the security cameras at the Holiday Inn were not working the night Holloway vanished[1]. Her passport, packed luggage, camera, and cellular phone were found in her hotel room. Searches of the island and surrounding waters began almost immediately, but to date have been fruitless.

Investigation

An investigation into Holloway's disappearance began immediately when she missed her flight home.

Leadership

Jan van der Straten was the initial Aruban police leader of the investigation. After Van der Straten's retirement, Police Commissioner Gerold Dompig took over as the leader of the investigation. In April 2006 he was replaced by Adolpho (Dolfi) Richardson.

At Aruba's request the Netherlands will take over the investigation. A team of the Korps Landelijke Politie Diensten (KLPD) (nl) (Dutch police organization) was to have started in September 2006.[2] The extensive case documentation has been received in Rotterdam.

Early investigation

On May 30, immediately following her missed flight, Holloway's stepfather and mother, George ("Jug") and Beth Twitty, traveled to Aruba with friends by private jet. Within four hours of landing in Aruba the Twittys and others went to the Aruban police with Van der Sloot's name and address, as the person last known to have been seen with their daughter. Accompanied by two Aruban policemen and other Arubans, they went to the Van Der Sloot home looking for Holloway. Van der Sloot initially denied knowing Holloway, but then Van der Sloot and Deepak Kalpoe related their first joint statements.

Their initial joint statements were that they drove Holloway to the "California Lighthouse" area of Arashi Beach because Holloway wanted to see the sharks. Van der Sloot also stated that they dropped her off at her hotel around 2:00 a.m. They said she fell down as she got out of the car and hit her head, but she refused Van der Sloot's help to get up, and then she was approached by a dark man in a black shirt similar to those worn by security guards, as the young men drove away.

Holloway's father, Dave Holloway, arrived on Aruba two days after her disappearance. He went to the police station and spoke with Dennis Jacobs, the case's lead detective and a police drugs specialist. According to Holloway, Jacobs' first statement to him was, "Well, how much money you got?" Holloway further alleges that Jacobs told Holloway to go to Carlos and Charlie's Bar, and she might turn up there, but to watch his drink as "People put stuff in it." Again according to Holloway, about four months later, Jacobs repeated his request to know how much money he had. Jacobs has made no known statement on Holloway's allegations. [3] [Aruba by Dave Holloway with R. Stephanie Good and Larry Garrison, pp. 8-10, Nelson Current, 2006]

Initial arrests (June-August 2005)

On June 5, Aruban police detained Antonius "Mickey" John (30) and Abraham Jones (28), former security guards for the nearby Allegro Hotel (which was then closed for renovation). News reports have indicated that part of the reason for their arrest was possible involvement in theft from the Mountain Brook students.

On June 9, Van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers were arrested as suspects believed to be involved in a crime(s) of “reasonable suspicion of murder, manslaughter or intentional containment with the dead as consequence” against Holloway. John and Jones were released on June 13.

During interrogation, the remaining detained suspects' story changed. In a joint police interview of the three, Van der Sloot said that he was dropped off at his home, and the brothers drove away with Holloway. Van der Sloot then stated to police he left Holloway at the Marriott Hotel beach near the fishermen's huts and phoned Deepak Kalpoe, who returned and gave him a ride home.

On Friday, June 17, a fourth person, later identified as disc jockey Steve Gregory Croes (26) was also arrested. Police Commissioner Van der Straten told the media that "Croes was detained based on information from one of the other three detainees." On June 22 Aruban police detained Van der Sloot's father, Paulus van der Sloot, for questioning, and arrested him the same day for “reasonable suspicion of murder, manslaughter or intentional containment with the dead as consequence.” He was released on June 26 after agreeing to waive his right not to testify against his son. Croes was released on June 27. On Monday, July 4, a Judge Commissioner released Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, but they were re-arrested on August 26 along with another new suspect, Freddy Arambatzis, Joran's friend and neighbour. [4]

Suspects released (September 2005)

On September 3 2005, all four of the detained suspects were released by a judge despite the attempts of the prosecution to keep them in custody, on the condition that they remain available to police. Subsequently, on September 14 all restrictions on them were removed by the Gemeenschappelijk Hof van Justitie van de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba (the combined appeals court of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba). Though all of those arrested technically remain suspects, they are not in custody and, without additional evidence (and a judge's permission), can only be interrogated voluntarily. Joran van der Sloot now resides in the Netherlands, where he is attending a business college. On November 10, 2005, Paulus van der Sloot won an unjust detention action against the Aruban government and, by virtue of that victory, is no longer legally a suspect. The elder Van der Sloot also initiated a civil action for monetary damages for himself and his family because of his detention. The action was initially successful, but the award of damages was reversed on appeal.

Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers, in interviews or statements after their release, have said that Van der Sloot and Holloway were left at a beach near the Marriott Hotel at about 1:40 a.m. Van der Sloot has stated that Holloway wanted to have sexual intercourse with him there, but he did not because he did not have a condom. Van der Sloot initially indicated that he then left Holloway and his shoes on the beach only 0.6 mile from her hotel, and then walked almost 2 miles to his home. Van der Sloot then stated that Deepak Kalpoe picked him up in their car, but now says he was picked up by Satish Kalpoe at about 3:00 a.m., left Holloway there - he says she wanted to stay, while he wanted to go home because he had to go to school later that morning. Satish Kalpoe denies picking up Van der Sloot.

Van der Sloot, in interviews after his release, indicated that he was not truthful at first because he believed Natalee would soon turn up, and was somewhat ashamed to have left a girl alone on the beach, albeit by her own request.

Arrest of new suspects (April-May 2006)

On April 15, 2006, Geoffrey von Cromvoirt, 19, was arrested by Aruban authorities on suspicion of criminal offenses that, according to the prosecutor, might have been related to the disappearance of Holloway and of offenses related to dealing in illegal narcotics.[5] At his first court appearance, his detention was extended for eight days. However, Von Cromvoirt was released on April 24 2006.[6] In addition, another individual with initials "A.B." was arrested on April 22 2006, but released the same day.

On May 17 2006, another suspect, 19-year-old Guido Wever, the son of a former Aruban politician, was detained in The Hague on suspicion of assisting in the abducting, battering, and killing of Holloway. [7] While Aruban authorities requested his transfer to the island, he was instead released on May 23 2006 - according to his lawyers, due to lack of evidence. [8]

All arrestees except Paulus van der Sloot legally remain suspects. Attempts by the lawyers for Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoes to end that status have not been successful. While some have tried to distinguish Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers as "principal" or "primary" suspects, this is not a distinction recognized by Aruban law.

The search for physical evidence has been extensive--and subject to, apparently, false leads. A possible blood sample taken from the car Holloway rode in was tested. The substance was then reported not to be blood. [9]

A small pond near the Aruba Racquet Club close to the Marriott Hotel beach was partly drained between July 27 and July 30 2005 after an individual ("the gardener") claimed to have seen Joran van der Sloot driving, Deepak Kalpoe next to him, and Satish Kalpoe duck downward quickly in Deepak's car that was sitting parked on a dirt road nearby between 2:30 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. on the same morning Holloway disappeared. This witness was then declared as not credible when he presented himself in front of a judge. He was not able to recognize any of the suspects and the lawyers easily destroyed his stories.[10] Another individual, "Junior," or "the jogger" claimed to have seen the two Van der Sloots, Deepak Kalpoe and other persons burying a nude, blonde-haired woman in a landfill during the first week after Holloway disappeared. The police searched the landfill by hand for two hours, finding nothing of interest. Later, when Holloway's father, Dave Holloway, and a volunteer search team learned about the witness, the landfill was extensively searched with heavy garbage-moving/digging equipment. However this witness was not deemed credible since he was a drug addict and had a criminal history. On August 15 it was reported that when the search team members arrived at the landfill, the excavated area had been filled in with new garbage. However, Vanity Fair has reported that the search team searched the landfill until satisfied there was no body present, and searched again in late October. On July 4, the Netherlands deployed three F-16 aircraft equipped with infrared sensors to aid in the search, also without initial result. In March 2006 it was reported that the aircraft photos were being re-examined with additional scrutiny and utilizing new techniques.

The FBI and Aruban authorities interviewed (or in some cases, re-interviewed) several students in the United States in January 2006.

On January 17 2006, Aruban police searched sand dunes on the northwest coast of Aruba for Natalee Holloway. More than 50 Aruba police cadets searched a one-square-mile area around where the young woman was last known to be seen. Additional searches took place in March and April 2006, without result.[11]

In an interview with CBS correspondent Troy Roberts aired on March 25 2006, Gerold Dompig, deputy chief of police in Aruba, shortly before leaving the case, said that he now believes Holloway probably died from self-consumed alcohol and/or drug poisoning, was not murdered, and that someone later hid her body. [12]

Holloway's behavior

Some reports, notably a feature article in Vanity Fair, centered on the behavior of the high school group during their vacation in Aruba. According to that article, the 2006 seniors were not welcome at the Holiday Inn due to the behavior of the previous year's graduates.

Holloway's behavior, in particular, has been discussed. According to some reports, Holloway lay down on the bar and let Van der Sloot lick a jello shot off her midriff, otherwise known as a 'body shot'. [13] [14] One of Holloway's roommates told the FBI that she and Holloway had been doing jello shots before Van der Sloot's arrival as well.[15]

Holloway's friends said she had been drinking all day long the day before her disappearance, and Deputy Chief Dompig indicated that the police have evidence which corroborates this. Dompig indicated that there is evidence that points to possession (though not necessarily use) of drugs by Holloway. [16]

Reward

The reward for information leading to Holloway's safe return, pledged by her family, ex-con and self-styled philanthropist Joseph Mammana, the Aruban government, Carlos 'n Charlie's Restaurant, and others was $1,000,000. A $250,000 reward was also offered for information about her whereabouts, alive or dead.[17].

It is unlikely that the reward is still valid, given Mammana's arrest and detention without bond on charges of tax evasion and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on November 30, 2006.[18] On March 2, 2007, the Philadelphia Daily News reported that Mammana intended to plead guilty to the charges, accept forfeiture of significant assets, and pay the IRS $200,000 prior to sentencing.[19] The paper indicated that Mammana's pledge towards the Holloway reward had been $100,000.

Beth Twitty's involvement

Beth Twitty has alleged in televised interviews that Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers know more than they have told, and, at least one of them sexually abused or raped her daughter. She bases her allegations on parts of an interview with Deepak Kalpoe in which (at least on the version aired on Dr. Phil) he seems to answer "She did" to a suggestion that Holloway had sex with all of them. These clips were first aired on the popular television talk show Dr. Phil. However, in versions of the tapes provided by Aruban authorities, Kalpoe appears to say "No, she didn't" (the version provided by Dr. Phil has heavy, dramatic music making it harder to discern what Kalpoe said). According to Satish Kalpoe's attorneys, David Kock [20] and Elgin Zeppenfeldt, the Dr. Phil audio has been cut and pasted. The Dutch forensic institute has investigated the credibility of the tapes, and concluded that content of the Dr. Phil aired tape did not match the original tape, and that Kalpoe actually said "No, she didn't," followed by, "You'd be surprised how simple it was that night."

Twitty claims to have received copies of police statements stating that Joran van der Sloot admitted having sex with Holloway at his home and described private details of her. She has not provided any copies of such papers, and the evidentiary basis for this is unclear. Vinda de Sousa, former Holloway-Twitty family Aruban attorney, has indicated that no such statement was made. [21] In addition, former deputy chief of police Gerold Dompig has denied that any such statements were made, stating that all three suspects have consistently denied having sexual intercourse with Holloway. [22] Zeppenfeldt, and a number of experts on the various talk shows, have stated that Deepak Kalpoe clearly answered "No, we didn't" to Jamie Skeeter (the private investigator who did the secretly-taped interview and who sold the tapes to the Dr. Phil show). A copy of the tape [23] (provided by the Aruban police) is available at Scrux.com.

In December 2006, the Kalpoes filed suit for slander and libel against Dr. Phil and Jamie Skeeters (who died in January 2007) in Los Angeles. Twitty and Dave Holloway responded by filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the Kalpoes in the same venue. Both suits remain pending, though a motion by Twitty and Dave Holloway to deem the two to be related cases was denied by the Superior Court in Los Angeles. [24] On February 20, 2007, attorneys for the Kalpoes filed a motion to dismiss the wrongful death suit on the grounds there is no connection between the Kalpoes and California.[25] A hearing on the motion is set for April 26, 2007.

Twitty has been criticized for what is perceived as excessive focus on Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers, to the exclusion of any other theory as to what happened to Holloway. According to the lawsuit filed by the Kalpoe brothers, she has (on various television programs) repeatedly accused them, and Joran van der Sloot, of "sexual assault" and "gang rape" of her daughter. She has also been criticized for making what have been deemed to be inconsistent and contradictory statements (for example, as to whether there were operating security cameras at the Holiday Inn).

On December 29, 2006 Jug Twitty filed for divorce from Beth, citing irreconciliable differences. [1]

Criticism of the investigation, call for boycott

The Twittys and their supporters have criticized the lack of progress by Aruban police [26]. Aruban officials and non-U.S. press have attributed their criticism as a lack of understanding of Dutch judicial procedures employed on the island. The Twittys' own actions in Aruba have also been criticized, and the Twittys have been accused of actively stifling any evidence that would impugn their daughter's character by asking her fellow students to remain silent about the case and using their access to the media to push their own version of events. The Twittys have denied this. While initially the Twittys discouraged a travel boycott of Aruba, this changed by September 2005. Beth Twitty urged that persons not travel to Aruba (and other Dutch territories) because of what she stated were tourist safety issues. Alabama Governor Bob Riley, joined by the Twittys, urged Alabamians and others to boycott Aruba on November 8 2005 in a news conference.[27] He also wrote to other United States governors seeking their support--the governors of Georgia and Arkansas eventually joined in the call for boycott. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, city council voted to ask the governor of Pennsylvania to call for a boycott. [28]. He did not do so. The call for boycott received no federal support.[29]

Members of the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association, the Aruba Tourism Authority, the Aruba Hospitality and Security Foundation, the Aruban Chamber of Commerce and government figures, including Public Relations Representative Ruben Trappenberg, formed an "Aruba Strategic Communications Task Force" to respond collectively to what they perceived to be unfounded and/or negative portrayals of the island. The group issued press releases and sent representatives to appear in news media. They joined the Aruban government in opposing the calls for a boycott of the island.

Media coverage

U.S. television networks have devoted much air time to the search for Holloway, the investigation of her disappearance, and rumors surrounding the case; Greta Van Susteren, host of On The Record on Fox News, perhaps most prominently, alongside Nancy Grace on Headline News, whose show began airing during intensive coverage of the story. Van Susteren's almost continuous coverage of the story caused On The Record to get its best ratings to date [30]., while Grace's show has become the cornerstone of the new "Headline Prime" block on HLN, which has run two episodes (a live show and a repeat) every night during prime-time. As the case wore on, much of the attention was given to Beth Twitty and her statements.[31]

Criticism of media coverage

The saturation of coverage triggered a backlash among some critics who allude to the theory known as "missing white woman syndrome," which argues that missing-person cases involving white women and girls receive disproportionate attention in the media compared to cases involving men or non-white people (regardless of gender). CNN ran a segment criticizing the amount of coverage their competitors have been giving to the story [32]. Locally, the Aruban Press has published extensive news on the story both in Dutch [33] and in the local Papiamento language [34].

The saturation coverage of Holloway's disappearance by the American media was largely eclipsed in late August 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. Beth Twitty has alleged that Aruba took advantage of the media lull to release the suspects and discourage continued U.S. media presence on the island. However, the deadline for judicial review of the suspects' detention was set long before the hurricane.

Police procedurals on American television have aired episodes apparently based to some extent on the Natalee Holloway case:

References

  1. ^ Wolfson, Hannah. (January 5, 2007) "Twittys begin divorce proceedings." The Birmingham News.

See also


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